Safety razor



N. TESTI SAFETY RAZOR oct. 27, 1936.

Fiied Nov. 15, 1954 INVENTOR Mc/zoZa/.s Ma' BY wao Patented Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY RAZOR Nicholas Testi, New York, N. Y., assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass., a 1"? corporation of Delaware Application November 15, 1934, Serial No. 753,190

18 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the type employing a sectional capin co-operation with a guard or other blade-supporting member. The general object of the invention is to improve the accuracy and security of the blade clamping operation in razors of this type and to facilitate and speed up the movement of the cap sections to and from blade-clamping position.

With these ends in view one important feature of the invention consists in cap sections, each supported by a centrally disposed arm pivotally mounted beneath the guard. This arrangement is advantageous in that the cap sections are thus supported in a balanced manner, so that they tend automatically to equalize clamping pressure on the blade, and also because the ends of the cap sections are left free and clear of obstructions likely to make damaging contact with the edge of the blade in presenting or removing it from the razor.

As herein shown, the capI sections and their respective supporting arms areso designed as to be over-balanced outwardly when slightly separated and preferably spring means are provided tending always to open said sections when they are permitted to separate. This results in a particularly smooth and rapid opening of the razor when the user desires to remove a blade for cleaning or for purposesof replacement, and moreover, `this opening movement is effected without danger ofvimpairing thekeen shaving `edge of the blade. The razor of my invention may include, as another desirable feature, means for locking the cap sections together while in blade-flexing position or in position adjacent to that. As herein shown, the supporting arms of the cap sections are each provided with locking recesses and these are brought into operative engagement with cooperating locking projections as the cap sections approach their blade-flexing position above the guard. Means ,are provided or moving the cap sections bodily first to unlock them and then to cause them to move laterally into separated positions in which the blade-supporting face of the guard is fully uncovered. Incidentally the construction herein shown is particularly well adapted for opening the cap sectionsto a posi- Vtion of wide separation in which they clear the blade edges by a wide margin of safety when the Y', latter is being presentedto or removed from the 4razor. v

. The razor herein shown is adapted to receive a blade having a transverse slot in its cuttingedge and advantageis taken ,of this by designing the cap section supports to enter such slot and thus impart a more or less straight line pull to the cap sections when the latter are operated to apply blade-ilexing pressure to a blade in the razor. These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,- Fig. l is a view of the razor in end elevation, with portions of the handle being broken away; Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the razor head;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guard member showing a blade positioned thereon; .l5

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the razor head, showing the cap sections partially opened; and

Fig. 5 is a view on the same enlarged scale of the razor head in end elevation, showing the cap Q0 sections fully opened.

In the embodiment 0f the invention illustrated the guard I0 is utilized as a blade-supporting member and is provided with spaced longitudinal shoulders over which the blade may be flexed ,-25 when positioned for shaving. The guard I6 is elongated and provided with guard teeth of the usual construction upon its side edges outside its blade-ilexing shoulders. Its upper surface is provided with a narrow elongated blade-positioning r1330 rib I2 and at oppositely disposed points, halfway between its ends it is provided with transverse slots I3 which extend inwardly to points slightly within the blade `flexing shoulders. As shown in Fig. 3, the slots I3 take the place of the middlel guard teeth on each side of the guard.

Rigidly secured to the under side of the guard lil is a head l5 shouldered at its lower edge to receive the barrel I5 of the handle and this in turn is closed at its lower end by a knurled headv-fi 3l which will be referred to hereinafter.

One form of blade I'I suitable for use with a razor of my invention is shown in Fig. 3. It is sharpened upon opposite edges for shaving and provided in each corner with a reentrant recess 45 which defines centrally-disposed unsharpened. end portions in the blade. The blade is also provided with a central longitudinal slot adapted to fit accurately upon the rib I2 of the guard and"V5 thus locate the blade in shaving position thereon. This central slot is shown as provided with spaced enlargements for fitting blade-locating studs of various shapes which may be encountered in other razors. The blade I1 is also pro- 55 y vided with oppositely disposed transverse slots I8 substantially midway between the ends and these extend inwardly through the cutting edge of the blade in registration with the slots I3 of the guard.

The razor includes in its organization a pair of cap sections 2B similar in shapeand curved so as to flex the blade I'l over the blade-exing shoulders of theguard I!) whentheftwofcap sections arefclosed andthen moved-relatively .tothe guard. The inner thick e'dge of each cap section is provided with a longitudinal groove 2| to receive the. rib I2 of the guard when the two cap sections are closed and moved into blade-clamping position. Each cap section :2G `hasan outer relatively thin straight edge '.:22 .adapted to tengage the upper surface of the blade and flex it into shaving position. Each cap .section 20 .is supported in position and moved transversely'by means of a thin plate-like arm 23 which'isattached to the .cap section midway between its ends and extends outwardly .and downwardly to a point ofpivotal support I9 upon atransverse link or rocker.25. "The transverse link '25 is piv- ,otally supported midway between its ends in the upper end of .aspindle 26, slidablelongitudinally in the'barrel of 'theihandle A vcollar 2l is securedin place .within the barrel-'I'at some distancebelow'its upper end where it'forms a spacer for the spindle. A compression SpringZQ-located in the bore of theV head 'ibears at its lower end againstlthe collar`2 and at itsupperendV against the'link'-25 and tends vat `all times to move the link Aupwardly and thus to throw open the cap'sections' 2B, as will presently be explained. Each cap section and its supporting -armisdesigned to Afall 'open by gravity when slightly `displaced from -its inner position,

The inner edges of the plate-like arms -23 of 'the cap'sections 21B-are vformed as cam surfaces co-operating with the edges -of-the-guard I9 lat .the inner ends of the slot I3, as=shown in Fig. 4, 't0 'throw the arms and `cap `Sections outwardly :when the'linkZ- vis Ymoved `upwardly toward the vunderl side ofthe guard. 'In tne'cuter surface of the arms "23 'are formed shallowrecesses 34 which co-'operate with ajpair of'projecting cams '2B which are 'secured to the-'collarfand-extend outwardly through slots -provided fior lthat purpose inthewallsv-othehead lll. `The cams 23 Ydetermine the wide open ppositionoffthe cap-sections-when seated in Vthe vrecesses `SII. Each of 'the arms Zvs also provided lwith-a downwardlyextending `projection -2-4 which defines a deep A'locking-recess 'in -the peripherylof the arm near itspointofpivotal support.y

The spindle 125, yas already statedfis provided `atits lower end-with a knurledhead v3l .and from rthisl extends'upwardly-withinlthe barrel I 5 a-tub- --ular-'sleeve provided with a cam-slotSZ. cam vslot co-operates Awith awstud -33 :extending `outwardly'fromfthespindle 2-6'fandthe shape of the cam slotis-such-that when-the knurled head 3i 4turns fin '-a clockwise fdirection the .spindle 26 :andthe parts carried-thereby-will be pulled downwardly against thecompression of lthe spring 29.

AS1-shown in Fig. .1', .theknurled head-.3! isrepresented as being turnedtothelimit of its clock- -wise .fmovement and in :this Vposition the spindle .26 is fullylowereds the cap sections are closed (and I are drawn .forcibly downwardly with respect letoltheguard Ell into .blade-exing position. In

thisposition ther-cam .projections28 t into the locking recesses form-ed .by the .projections 24 of the ,armsl 2:3., so .that the .cap .sections .are .thus

locked positively in closed position,

If now it is desired to open the cap sections for replacing or cleaning the blade the knurled head 3l is turned in a counter-clockwise direction,

whereupon the cam slot 32 travels along the stud 33 and spindle 26 is elevated or rather released so that the compression spring 29 may elevate it. In this operation the locking recesses of the. cap section arms 23 are rst. disengaged from the stationary cam .projections .28,1as .clearly zindicated in Fig. 4, and the inner edges of the arms 23 be- ;.gn to react with the edges of the guard I to swing ,the cap sections 20 outwardly. This action Y'continues rapidly as the spindle 26 is lifted and the link or rocker 25 carried nearer and nearer to the bottom of the guard I I). Finally the -cap-sections-are thrown into their wholly opened `position, as shown in Fig. and in this position the cam projections 28 again engage the outer peripheryof the arms 23, this timel entering the depressions 3A Whichlimit the outward swing of fthe arms and determine their limiting position. 'In this position it will'be seen that the face of ,the guard-is entirely 'free and unobstructed bythe cap sections vand that then theiblade II may be removed or positioned upontthejguard with particular facility.

It will '-be noted, moreover,V that=thc cap sections are supported bythe arms 23' in asymmetrical manner, sothatthe pressure*imparted-thereto will be balanced andthe cap sections 'will tend'to accommodate themselves automaticallyto any irregularity lin the 'shape or position of-lthe guard I0. Furtherequalizing eiect arisesfrom the yrocker V25 whichmay Kyield langularly in jpermitting the razorparts to adjustthemselves when brought together under jblade-clamping pressure.

Moreoven the endsof vthe capsections are left entirely free and'clear andthe razor asa whole is'thus rendered compact andconvenient in its design.

Having thus described ymy -invention what I claim as new and desire to 'secure by "Letters Patent of the United States yisz-- '1.A --safety razor comprising an elongated guard lmemberfand 'co-operating cap sections each provided with a vertically-disposed supporting arm located substantially midway vbetween its ends and which is'pivotally mounted to swing `about ahorizontal -axisbeneath the'mid portion of the guard.

2. 'A'safety razor'comprising a guard 'having teeth arranged along'its edge-anda 'face forsup- 'porting`aflexib1e blade with its edge extending Aguard member having longitudinal blade-flexing `shoulders and slots extending transverselyto said shoulders, -ar-idcap .sections `pivotally `sup- -ported by arms movable insaid slots.

A. A safety razor ,comprisinga .guard having an elongated bladelocating rib -and -a parallel bladeflexing shouldergsaid shoulder being pro= `vided centrally with .fa slot disposed .at .right angles to said rib, anda capsection pivotally supportedby an arrnmovable in s'aid, slot.

.5. A safety razor comprising .an elongated guard having a .blade-Supporting face, cap .sec-

tions movable relatively thereto to 'ex a blade in co-operation therewith, and pivotally supportedarms projectinglfrom said sections Vand'rigidly attached thereto substantially :midway between their ends and adjacenttotheir-outer'edgesre-i speotively for supporting the sections in bladeflexing position.

6. A safety razor comprising an elongated guard, and curved cap sections co-operating therewith to ex a blade, each section having a rigidly attached arm projecting therefrom midway between its ends thereby supporting the section in a balanced manner while leaving its ends free and clear.

7. A safety razor comprising an elongated blade support, a exible blade having a transverse slot in its cutting edge and being adapted to be positioned upon said support, and a movable cap member having a supporting arm .arranged to pass into the slot of the blade.

8. A safety razor comprising an elongated guard having oppositely disposed transverse slots in its side edges substantially midway between its ends, and cap sections supported by arms shaped to enter said slots.

9. A safety razor comprising a guard, a transverse link pivotally supported for bodily movement toward or from the underside of the guard and cap sections independently connected to the ends of said link and equalized, by their link support, in their pressure.

10. A safety razor comprising a guard, a spindle movable longitudinally beneath the guard, a rocker pivotally mounted in the end of the spindle, and cap sections pivotally connected to the ends of the rocker at points beneath the guard and thereby equalizing in their pressure.

11. A safety razor comprising a guard, pivotally supported cap sections having supporting arms projecting therefrom between their ends, said arms having cam surfaces on their opposite edges for swinging the cap sections to and from position above the guard.

12. A safety razor comprising a guard, cap sections each having a blade-iiexing edge and a central supporting arm rigidly attached thereto and projecting from said edge, said arms being pivotally mounted in the razor, and means acting on said arms for positively locking the cap sections in position above the guard.

13. A safety razor comprising a guard, a handle, cap sections having central supporting arms pivotally supported below the guard, locking recesses on said arms, and co-operating locking projections in said handle.

14. A safety razor comprising a guard, a handie secured thereto, movable cap sections co-operating with the guard and having arms with cam-shaped edges including therein locking recesses, and spaced projectionsarranged to travel along the cam edges in closing the cap sections and then to enter the locking recesses.

15. A safety razor comprising a guard for supporting a flexible resilient blade, co-operating cap sections pivoted for movement to and from superposed position above the guard, means for locking the cap sections together, and a spring tending at all times to separate said. cap sections and being operative when the latter are unlocked.

16. A safety razor comprising a guard for supporting a blade, co-operating cap sections supported on pivots which are bodily movable in spaced parallel paths below the guard, the cap sections being so shaped as to fall open by gravity when partially separated, and means for locking said cap sections together.

17. A safety razor comprising a guard, co-operating cap sections movable toward and from the guard to flex a blade thereon and also laterally to uncover a blade, each being supported entirely by an arm projecting from the section midway between its ends, locking means for the cap sections acting on said arm, and means for moving said cap sections simultaneously first to unlock said cap sections and then to spread them laterally.

18. A safety razor having a guard presenting a blade-flexing face, and curved cap sections shaped to overlie said face, each having an outer blade-engaging edge and each provided with a supporting arm united to the section and extending outwardly from its blade-engaging edge and then downwardly to a point of pivotal support below the guard.

NICHOLAS TESTI. 

